Brake levers: left or right??

[Arsen Gere]

Most folks are right handed too. That is where the strength is. So that is where the front break needs to be, in your strongest hand so it stops you fast when you need to.

 

[subaqua]

Er, Construction and Use laws somewhere googlable.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/198/regulation/4/made

Pedal bicycle safety regulations

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4072 explains it all quite nicely

 

[oldroadman]

Front brake has to be on the right. It is a safety issue.

As you grab the brake lever, you roll the hand forward and this movement closes the throttle.

If the front brake were on the left, the clutch would move to the throttle side and smooth gear changes would be impossible.

Johnny Foreigner can be an audacious creature and is given to unhelpful mechanical eccentricity.

The front brake belongs on the right and traffic belongs on the left.

No wonder our jails are so full!

Yes, that does happen on a motorcycle. All set up the same in every country. Except for those funny auto scooters, rear brake on the left grip instead f the right foot.

However, on BICYCLES, everywhere is left front except UK, and plenty of riders think this isa way they prefer, rather than the eccentric right to front - but if you prefer it that way, then that's fine. Go back a zillion years to the days of down tube gear levers, and the one on the rigt looked after the rear mech, so it was possible to brake and change gear, which required taking a hand off the bars. But the not many are old enough to remember that!
In essence, there is no "wrong" way, it's simply what you prefer.
I always had left front and right rear, and still have.

 

[Enid Agnus Dei]

Took me ages when I got my 5 speed Europa when being cut up by or pulled out on by a car to chain down the gears or use both sets of brakes esp on a hill, love my gears on the down tube and feel happy when I hit the gear spot on!

 

[summerdays]

I've just read that CTC article and discovered you must have a bell in NI!

 

[Enid Agnus Dei]

I always thought a bell was standard and required?

 

[summerdays]

Bell only required at the point of sale (except NI and much of Europe apparently).

 

[Enid Agnus Dei]

Thank you for that Halfords gave me a bell when I bought a cycle from them a few years back and said fit it or bin it!